News

Gaming Program Ranked Nationally by Animation Career ReviewJune 2017
The Game and Mobile Media Applications (GAMMA) Program at The University of Texas at Austin has been ranked nationally by Animation Career Review, a website for aspiring animation, design and gaming professionals. In 2017, GAMMA was ranked No. 2 in the Southwest region, No. 7 nationally among public schools and colleges and No. 20 nationally.

Digital Demo Day Spring 2017 ScheduleApril 2017
Join the Center for Arts and Entertainment Technologies (CAET), Computer Science Department, and Radio-Television-Film Department as we showcase students’ interactive media projects for Spring 2017 at Digital Demo Day. Digital Demo Day is a free event that will take place on the UT campus on Thursday, May 11th from 4:00pm – 6:15pm. The event is organized as a digital arcade in which the public can interact with student video games, and digital art and animation, as well as watch video of student work.

Designing Gaming to Change AttitudesFebruary 2017
Video games have evolved past traditional shoot-em-ups to immersive experiences that teach empathy and open mindedness. Patrick Jagoda, English, cinema and media studies associate professor from the University of Chicago, spoke about merging gaming and medical humanities last Friday. The talk was hosted by the Texas Institute for Literary and Textual Studies and sponsored by the GAMMA Program.

GAMMA Professor Q&A: Dr. Etienne VougaFebruary 2017
Dr. Etienne Vouga is an assistant professor in the Computer Science Department and the Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences (ICES) at the University of Texas at Austin. His research is in physical simulation and geometry processing and design; and applying ideas from these areas to solving problems in computer graphics, computational mechanics, and scientific computing.

Saving the World, One Video Game at a TimeJanuary 2017
“The idea of crowdsourced data-gathering games for research is a new and exciting method of obtaining data that would be prohibitively expensive otherwise,” says Paul Toprac, who along with his colleague Matt O’Hair, run the Simulation and Game Applications (SAGA) Lab at University of Texas Austin. Their team helps researchers across campus and in the private sector design, implement, and find funding for video game-based research.

UT Games Provide New Avenues for Classroom LearningJanuary 2017
UT researchers in the Simulations and Game Applications (SAGA) Lab, a division under the College of Fine Arts, have been exploring the educational use of video games for the past several years. SAGA specializes in collecting sample data and enhancing a student’s learning experience through video games. SAGA’s games and projects have mostly targeted science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects in order to broaden their appeal to students. For example, mathematics professor Michael Starbird said in a promotional video for SAGA that his online math course would be entertaining.

Electronic Game Developers Society Creates Video GamesNovember 2016
Members of the UT Electronic Game Developers Society, or EGaDS, do more than play video games — they create them too. The organization, which has been around for less than a decade, is composed of members from a variety of fields including computer science, fine arts and radio, television and film. Corbin Rogerson, a computer science and linguistics senior and officer of EGaDS, said the club serves as a resource for anyone interested in creating electronic games.

Q&A with Christina “PhaZero” CurleeNovember 2016
Studio art senior Christina “PhaZero” Curlee specializes in creating video games that are works of art. Curlee, who this year became an ambassador for the International Game Developers Association’s Women in Games, has produced five video games during her time at UT. This week, she talked to the Daily Texan about the message and inspiration behind her games.

Lecturer in Game Development and Interactive ApplicationsNovember 2016
The Center for Arts and Entertainment Technologies (CAET) at the University of Texas at Austin is seeking a lecturer to teach courses in the Game and Mobile Media Applications (GAMMA) emphasis within the Bachelor of Science in Arts and Entertainment major. Duties include primarily teaching undergraduate organized courses and possible service and/or committee assignments.

Digital Demo Day Fall 2016 ScheduleNovember 2016
Join the University of Texas at Austin’s Center for Arts and Entertainment Technologies (CAET), College of Fine Arts, Computer Science Department, and Radio-Television-Film Department as we showcase the Fall 2016 semester’s student work at Digital Demo Day. Digital Demo Day is a free event that will take place on the UT campus on Friday, December 9th from 3:00pm – 6:30pm. The event is set up as a digital arcade in which the public can interact with student video games, digital art, and digital animation and visual effect videos.

Director of Game Developer Organization Lectures at UTNovember 2016
Paul Toprac, the associate director of game design and development at UT, said making video games that don’t reinforce stereotypes and are culturally appropriate requires empathy.
“We have to start having empathy about what other cultures are like, and investigation and research on that,” Toprac said. “We can’t just assume that we know what a different culture is. Rather, we have to be curious and learn about other cultures.”

GAMMA Professor Q&A: Dr. Sarah AbrahamAugust 2016
Dr. Sarah Abraham recently received her PhD from the University of Texas at Austin. For her dissertation, she worked in the UT’s high-performance computer graphics lab on non-photorealistic rendering and intuitive simulation-based tools for artists. Since graduating, she has become an adjunct assistant professor teaching Game Technology for the GAMMA Program in the Department of Computer Science (UTCS).

The GAMMA Program Hosts Spring 2016 Digital Demo DayMay 2016
The University of Texas at Austin’s Game and Mobile Media Applications (GAMMA) Program hosted the Spring 2016 Digital Demo Day (DDD) event on Wednesday, May 11th. The event showcased student-made content created throughout the semester in courses in the Center for Arts and Entertainment Technologies (CAET), College of Fine Arts (CoFA), Computer Science (CS), and Radio-Television-Film Department.

Forging Ahead With The FoundryMay 2016
With the launch of the new undergraduate major in the Center for Arts and Entertainment Technologies (CAET) announced in February by the College of Fine Arts (COFA), the Libraries are partnering with the college to develop a new kind of creative space in the Fine Arts Library (FAL) to support the specialized needs of students in the new program. “The Foundry” will occupy space in the main level of the FAL, and will consist of a series of interconnected studios designed to support audio recording, video production, fabrication, 3D printing, animatronics, game design and fiber arts where students can gather to create independently or collaboratively, and where they’ll have immediate access to traditional library resources and services to augment their work. Although it was developed primarily to support CAET, The Foundry is open to every student at the university.

Everi Hosts GAMMA Program’s Spring 2016 Capstone PostmortemMay 2016
Everi hosted The University of Texas at Austin’s Game and Mobile Media Applications (GAMMA) Program’s Spring 2016 Capstone Postmortem. On May 4th, five student-led teams from the GAMMA Capstone course presented the 3D games they created during the spring semester to local game industry professionals at Everi’s Austin office.

Studio Arts Senior Uses Art and Technology to Create Video GamesMay 2016
Game developer, level designer, 3D-modeler: senior Christina Curlee is not your average studio art major. Curlee builds art games — games that are focused on showing concepts or aesthetic ideas — more than entertainment. “Art games are very interesting in that they’re sort of the intersection between mass entertainment and what one would call traditional art,” said Paul Toprac, the associate director for game design and development in the department of computer science and one of Curlee’s professors. Curlee started her art career as an installation artist, setting up immersive scenes and environments, such as a giant “expressionist birdhouse.” Eventually, her art became more virtual.

Digital Demo Days Spring 2016 ScheduleApril 2016
Join the University of Texas at Austin’s Center for Arts and Entertainment Technologies (CAET), College of Fine Arts, Computer Science Department, and Radio-Television-Film Department as we showcase the Spring 2016 semester’s student work at Digital Demo Day. Digital Demo Day is a free event that will take place on the UT campus on Wednesday, May 11th from 3:00pm – 6:30pm and Thursday, May 12th from 2:00pm – 6:30pm. The event is set up as a digital arcade in which the public can interact with student video games, digital art, and digital animation and visual effect videos.

Austin Companies Working On Range of VR ProjectsApril 2016
Austin appears to be on its way to become a virtual boomtown… as in a place where virtual reality is taking off among video game developers, filmmakers, researchers and media. Here’s a partial list of some of the companies and groups working on VR-related projects. This is far from a complete list, but I’ll continue to update it whenever we hear of new ones emerging on the scene.

The GAMMA Program Hosts Annual GAMMA Career FairMarch 2016
The University of Texas at Austin’s Game and Mobile Media Applications (GAMMA) Program hosted its annual GAMMA Career Fair on March 8th in the Bill & Melinda Gates Computer Science Complex and Dell Computer Science Hall (GDC). The event brought together over 50 students dedicated to game and mobile development and seven companies from the GAMMA Partner Program to discuss careers and internships in the game, mobile app, and creative media industries.

Art Meets Technology on the 40 AcresMarch 2016
A scale model of the UT Tower that glows and lights up, a virtual room where everything seems to be right at your fingertips, and 3-D-printed toy soldiers are just a few of the projects created by UT students who are using technology at the new Center for Arts and Entertainment Technology (CAET).

Why UT’s New Arts and Entertainment Technology School Could Be HugeMarch 2016
Doug Dempster, dean of the University of Texas College of Fine Arts, has the look of a classic university dean. He himself is well-kept, in a tidy office hung with interesting art, making conversation of a depth that can send you Googling your way through the history of arts and technology. But he’s part of a big shift in arts education for UT that is nothing like a classic university dean move. The school is establishing the Center for Arts and Entertainment Technologies, creating its first-ever bachelor of science degree in that space and building a large makerspace called “The Foundry,” where any UT student can record music, use 3D printers, and develop apps, video games and new devices. It opens to students next fall.

Center for Arts and Entertainment Technology Hosts Launch EventFebruary 2016
Live sound mixing, video game displays and a whizzing 3-D printer accompanies finger food and a dark room illuminated by streaks of fuchsia stage lights. Students from the Center for Arts and Entertainment Technologies classes in the College of Fine Arts, showcased their final projects Thursday during the center’s launch event. CAET’s multi-tiered initiative begins with launching a new degree program in arts and entertainment technologies in the fall of 2016.

UT-Austin CAET Gives Us Some STEAMFebruary 2016
I attended the launch event for UT-Austin’s Center for Arts & Entertainment Technology this evening. The Center (or CAET) is a new program of the College of Fine Arts. As Dean of Fine Arts, Doug Dempster explained, it’s been a few years in the making. But, now that it’s here, the CAET figures to quickly become a significant magnet for UT-Austin’s Fine Arts school. Why? Because, the CAET’s new Bachelor of Science degree in Arts & Entertainment is the quintessential Gen Z major.

High Tech Meets High Art in UT’s CAET InitiativeFebruary 2016
The technological explosion of the 21st century has profoundly effected our lives, inundating our senses with endless streams of information and mutating pop culture into bizarre forms at warp speed. Even something as high-brow and historically analog as fine arts education can’t resist the effects of these developments. To wit, the University of Texas plans to fully unveil its Center for Arts and Entertainment Technologies (CAET) this Fall. The initiative within the College of Fine Arts will marry modern technical skills with traditional art-forms. In addition to learning about design, dance, and music, students in CAET programs will take classes one would ordinarily associate with the university’s departments of Computer Science or Radio-Television-Film or the School of Engineering.

College of Fine Arts Launches Center for Arts and Entertainment TechnologiesFebruary 2016
The College of Fine Arts at The University of Texas at Austin has launched the Center for Arts and Entertainment Technologies to equip creative students with technological skills for the 21st-century economy. The center will facilitate the creation of new works and inventions that explore, expand and transform the arts and technology.

GAMMA Program Announces New Executive Board MemberFebruary 2016
The University of Texas at Austin’s Game and Mobile Media Applications (GAMMA) Program is pleased to announce Brett Close, SVP of Engineering and General Manager at Wargaming.net, as a new member of its GAMMA Executive Board.

GAMMA Program & EGaDS Hosts Central Texas Global Game Jam 2016February 2016
The University of Texas at Austin’s Game and Mobile Media Applications (GAMMA) Program and Electronic Game Developers Society (EGaDS) hosted the 2016 Central Texas Global Game Jam (GGJ) on January 29 – 31. The GGJ is the world’s largest game jam event—taking place at hundreds of physical locations all around the world during the same weekend. More than 80 participants came together in the UT Austin campus’ Student Activity Center (SAC) to produce an entirely new game in one 48-hour weekend event from the selected theme of “Ritual.”

Joystick Not RequiredDecember 2015
Far removed from the dark depths of Gamergate or the decidedly more lighthearted gatherings of Cheeto-fingered geeks embarking on marathon gaming sessions, a new vanguard of diverse, creative young video game and mobile app developers is on the rise, thanks in part to the UT Game and Mobile Media Applications (GAMMA) Program.

The GAMMA Program Hosts Fall 2015 Digital Demo DayDecember 2015
The University of Texas at Austin’s Game and Mobile Media Applications (GAMMA) Program hosted the Fall 2015 Digital Demo Day (DDD) event on Wednesday, December 9th. The event showcased student-made digital content created throughout the semester in Computer Science (CS), Radio-Television-Film (RTF), and Center for Arts and Entertainment Technologies (CAET) courses.

Bee Cave Games Hosts GAMMA Program’s Fall 2015 Capstone PostmortemDecember 2015
Bee Cave Games hosted The University of Texas at Austin’s Game and Mobile Media Applications (GAMMA) Program’s Fall 2015 Capstone Postmortem. On December 2nd, six student-led teams from the Capstone course presented the 2D games they created during the Fall semester to local game industry professionals at Bee Cave Games.

Digital Demo Days Fall 2015 ScheduleNovember 2015
Join the University of Texas at Austin’s Computer Science Department, College of Fine Arts, and Radio-Television-Film Department as we showcase the Fall 2015 semester’s student work at Digital Demo Days. Digital Demo Days is a free event that will take place on the UT campus on Saturday, December 5, from 5:00pm – 6:30pm, Wednesday, December 9, from 3:00pm – 6:30pm, and Thursday, December 10, from 3:00pm – 6:30pm. The event is set up as a digital arcade in which the public can interact with student video games, digital art, and digital animation and visual effect videos, except in the Union Theater, where student work is presented on a big screen.

Lecture by Rachel Uwa of the School of Machines, Making & Make-BelieveOctober 2015
Attend a lecture by Rachel Uwa, founder of the School of Machines, Making & Make-Believe (Berlin, Germany). Uwa is an artist and organizer whose background is in audio engineering and vfx compositing. Over the past 15+ years she’s lived in and organized social justice and tech communities and events big and small. Some of the highlights: Stone Soup Cooperative Chicago, Food Not Bombs, OpenTechSchool, Hackership and School of MA. She feels compelled to help bring these two worlds together and make the tech world less daunting and more diverse, inclusive, thoughtful and fun.

Game On: Fine Arts Students Learn How to Develop and Design Games Through Interdisciplinary ProgramSeptember 2015
When you think of game developers, you probably imagine someone sitting at a computer writing code. And yes, coding is certainly part of the process. But game development requires many creative skills in art, music, sound design and visual conceptualization, and that’s where the Fine Arts come into the picture. Enter the UT Game and Mobile Media Applications (GAMMA) Program, a collaboration between the College of Fine Arts and Computer Science Department that teaches undergraduates how to design and build games and playable mobile applications.

The University of Texas at Austin Hosts Third Annual 24-Hour UT Game JamSeptember 2015
The University of Texas at Austin’s Game and Mobile Media Applications (GAMMA) Program and the Electronic Game Developers Society (EGaDS), a student-run organization, hosted its third annual UT Game Jam on September 11-12. This year, more than 100 students came together in Texas Union Building (UNB) to create an entirely new game in only 24-hours from the randomly selected theme of “It Begins.”

EGaDS Hosts Fall 2015 Kickoff MeetingSeptember 2015
The University of Texas at Austin’s Electronic Game Developers Society (EGaDS) student organization hosted its Fall 2015 Kickoff Meeting on Thursday, September 10th. More than 100 UT students interested in game development gathered in the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) to learn about the organization, upcoming events, and hear a presentation by a special guest speaker from Microsoft.

Mobile Gaming Sparks Changes in Gaming DemographicsSeptember 2015
With the rising popularity of mobile games, suicidal birds, crushed candy and half-naked Vikings commonly grace any smartphone owner’s screen. Mobile games, such as Clash of Clans, have become a gold mine generating millions of dollars in daily revenue. While the mobile scene was previously considered a passing trend, mobile games are now drawing in millions of consumers who hadn’t given gaming the time of day in the past. With its success, mobile platforms have turned people from all demographics into gamers.

GAMMA Program Announces New Executive Board MemberJuly 2015
The University of Texas at Austin’s Game and Mobile Media Applications (GAMMA) Program is pleased to announce Scott Henderson, VP of Game Programming at Multimedia Games, as a new member of its GAMMA Executive Board.

Game and Mobile Media Applications Program Recognized in RankingsMay 2015
The Game and Mobile Media Applications (GAMMA) Program at The University of Texas at Austin was recognized as one of the top schools in the country for game design and development. Animation Career Review, an organization for aspiring animation and game design professionals, ranked the GAMMA Program No. 17 in the country. It was also ranked No. 6 in Public Game Design Schools and Colleges in the U.S. and No. 2 in the Southwest.

GAMMA Program Hosts Spring 2015 Digital Demo DaysMay 2015
The University of Texas at Austin’s Game and Mobile Media Applications (GAMMA) Program hosted the Spring 2015 Digital Demo Days (DDD) event on May 13th and 14th. The campus-wide event showcased student work in digital games, art, graphics, animation, and mobile apps created in Computer Science (CS), College of Fine Arts (CoFA), Radio-Television-Film (RTF), and Bridging Discipline Program Digital Arts and Media (BDP DAM) courses.

GAMMA, EGaDS, & IGDA-Austin Hosts Second Annual Bowling & Billiards NightMay 2015
The University of Texas at Austin’s Game and Mobile Media Applications (GAMMA) Program, Electronic Game Developers Society (EGaDS) and International Game Developers Association (IGDA) Austin hosted the second annual Bowling & Billiards Night on April 28. The non-competitive event brought together the EGaDS student organization and IDGA-Austin members in the Texas Union Underground for a casual, fun night of entertainment and networking.

Wargaming.net Hosts GAMMA Program’s Spring 2015 Capstone Post-MortemMay 2015
Wargaming.net hosted The University of Texas at Austin’s Game and Mobile Media Applications (GAMMA) Program’s Capstone Post-Mortem. On Wednesday, May 7, five student-led teams from the Capstone presented the 3D games they created during the spring 2015 semester to the local game industry professionals at Wargaming.net’s Austin office.

Digital Demo Days Spring 2015 ScheduleApril 2015
Join The University of Texas at Austin’s Computer Science Department, College of Fine Arts and Radio-Television-Film Department as we showcase the spring 2015 semester’s student work at Digital Demo Days. Digital Demo Days is a free event that will take place on the UT campus on Wednesday, May 13, from 2 – 6:30 p.m. and Thursday, May 14, from 2 – 6:30 p.m. The event is set up as a digital arcade in which the public can interact with student video games, digital art and digital animation and visual effect videos, except in CMB 4D, where student work is presented on a big screen.

The University of Texas at Austin’s Continuing Investment in VideogamesApril 2015
Did you know The University of Texas at Austin has a Videogame Archive? The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History collects and preserves all things videogames—software and hardware, documents, art, digital records, promotional materials and business records. In fact, the UT Videogame Archive is only one of many recent investments the university has made in the videogame industry.

The GAMMA Program Hosts EGaDS Career FairMarch 2015
The University of Texas at Austin’s Game and Mobile Media Applications (GAMMA) Program hosted the first Electronic Game Developers Society (EGaDS) Career Fair on February 26 in the Bill & Melinda Gates Computer Science Complex and Dell Computer Science Hall (GDC). At the event, members of EGaDS, a student organization dedicated to computer and video game development, were able to network with developers, hiring managers and recruiters about careers and internships in the game, mobile app and creative media industries.

EGaDS Hosts Spring 2015 Kickoff MeetingFebruary 2015
The University of Texas at Austin’s Electronic Game Developers Society (EGaDS) student organization hosted its spring 2015 Kickoff Meeting on Thursday, Jan. 29. More than 80 UT students interested in game development gathered in the Bill & Melinda Gates Computer Science Complex and Dell Computer Science Hall (GDC) to learn about the organization, upcoming events and hear a presentation from a special guest speaker from Wargaming.

GAMMA Program Hosts Central Texas Global Game Jam 2015January 2015
This past weekend, The University of Texas at Austin’s Game and Mobile Media Applications (GAMMA) Program hosted the Central Texas Global Game Jam (GGJ) 2015. The GGJ is the world’s largest game jam event—taking place at hundreds of physical locations all around the world at the same time. The Central Texas location took place on the UT Austin campus Jan. 23-25.

GAMMA Program and Lumo Create Web AppJanuary 2015
The University of Texas at Austin’s Game and Mobile Media Applications (GAMMA) Program recently worked with Lumo, an online, interactive presentation service, to build an interactive web app that lets users explore some of the past GAMMA events, student groups and current industry partners.

Chaotic Moon Hosts UT’s GAMMA Program PresentationDecember 2014
Chaotic Moon had a blast hosting The University of Texas at Austin’s Game and Mobile Media Applications (GAMMA) Program’s Capstone Post-Mortem. A total of six enthusiastic student-led development teams presented the games they created during the fall 2014 semester at their downtown office on Wednesday, Dec. 4.

Digital Demo Day Fall 2014 Schedule AnnouncedNovember 2014
Join The University of Texas at Austin’s Computer Science Department, College of Fine Arts and Radio-Television-Film Department as we showcase this fall semester’s student work at Digital Demo Day. Digital Demo Day is a free event that will take place on the UT campus on Thursday, Dec. 11, from 2 – 6:30 p.m. The event is set up as a digital arcade in which the public can interact with student video games, digital art and digital animation and visual effect videos.

GAMMA Announces New Certificate ProgramOctober 2014
The Game and Mobile Media Applications (GAMMA) Program announces a new certificate program for students at The University of Texas at Austin. The certificate program communicates to colleges and employers that students who complete the GAMMA Program are ready to design and develop interactive digital experiences and provide leadership for the ever-expanding game, mobile app and creative media industries.

The GAMMA Program Hosts Annual Career PowerUp MixerOctober 2014
The University of Texas at Austin’s Game and Mobile Media Applications (GAMMA) Program hosted its second annual Career PowerUp (CPU) Mixer on Oct. 9 in the atrium of the Bill & Melinda Gates Computer Science Complex and Dell Computer Science Hall (GDC). The CPU Mixer brought together members of the GAMMA Program’s industry partners and a select group of students interested in careers and internships in the game, mobile app and creative media industries.

The University of Texas at Austin Hosts Second Annual 24-Hour UT Game JamOctober 2014
The University of Texas at Austin’s Game and Mobile Media Applications (GAMMA) Program and the Electronic Game Developers Society (EGaDS), a student-run organization, hosted its second annual UT Game Jam on Sept. 26-27. This year, more than 80 students came together in the Bill & Melinda Gates Computer Science Complex and Dell Computer Science Hall (GDC) to create entirely new games in only 24 hours from the randomly selected theme of “binary.”

UT & Chaotic Moon Summer HackathonJuly 2014
The University of Texas at Austin’s GAMMA Program is partnering with Chaotic Moon to produce the UT & Chaotic Summer Moon Hackathon, where students compete to create the most innovative mashups of hardware and software to solve problems and extend our understanding of human-computer interaction. The 48-hour event will have a set number of student teams working together with members of the Chaotic Moon development team. Together, they will explore developing hardware like the Oculus Rift and Leap Motion devices to create something truly unique.

UT Student Team Builds Spooky Game In Just One SemesterJune 2014
The little girl sits alone on a small bed in a cabin of a large boat. She cries as she tries to remember what brought her to this place. Inside the room, books float in the air, held aloft by some kind of psychic energy. Something’s wrong here, but you probably already knew that when you passed by a line of shadows on the way to this room. It doesn’t take long to figure out that this ship is full of spirits. The only question is whether you’re alive and, if so, where this boat is headed.

E3 Student Game Contest Finalists AnnouncedMay 2014
Budding game developers from five schools will be honored at the annual E3 College Game Competition, due to take place in two weeks. E3 organizer and game publisher trade body, the Entertainment Software Association today announced the five finalists of its contest, who were chosen by a panel of game creators and industry professionals, (including Polygon’s news editor Brian Crecente.) 400 U.S. colleges and universities were originally invited to join the contest and submit game projects. Winners will be announced at E3.

The University of Texas at Austin Hosts the Spring 2014 Digital Demo DayMay 2014
The Game and Mobile Media Applications (GAMMA) Program, in conjunction with The University of Texas at Austin’s Computer Science (CS) Department, College of Fine Arts (CoFA), Radio-Television-Film (RTF) Department and Bridging Discipline Programs (BDP), hosted the spring 2014 Digital Demo Day on Thursday, May 8. The campus-wide event showcased digital games, art, animation and mobile apps created by students during the spring 2014 semester.

Underdog Games Wins Spot at Gaming TradeshowMay 2014
Underdog Games, a team of students from UT Austin’s Game and Mobile Media Applications (GAMMA) Program, was hand selected by a panel of game industry veterans and media professionals as one of five finalists in the second annual 2014 Electronic Entertainment Exp (E3) College Game Competition. The team was elected to exhibit and share their game called Port of Call with 45,000 attendees from around the world at E3 2014 computer and video games trade show.

Blizzard Entertainment Hosts GAMMA Program’s Spring 2014 Capstone Post-MortemMay 2014
Last week, Blizzard Entertainment hosted The University of Texas at Austin’s Game and Mobile Media Applications (GAMMA) Program’s spring 2014 Capstone Post-Mortem. Five student-led teams presented their final games, teaser trailers and development cycles to local game industry professionals at Blizzard Entertainment on Wednesday, April 30.

Game Development at UT Goes Mobile (That’s Where the Real Money Is)May 2014
The University of Texas at Austin’s game development program is changing its focus to mobile 18 months after launching. The Gaming and Mobile Media Applications, or GAMMA, program is recognizing the shift to mobile devices and the growing popularity of games — not to mention the relative profitability of them. As such, the faculty is boosting its classes with mobile versus console development, said Paul Toprac, associate director and senior lecturer for game and mobile media applications.

Digital Demo Day Spring 2014 Schedule AnnouncedApril 2014
Join The University of Texas at Austin’s Computer Science Department, College of Fine Arts and Radio-Television-Film Department as we showcase this spring semester’s student work at Digital Demo Day. Digital Demo Day is a free event that will take place on the UT campus on Thursday, May 8, from 2 – 6:30 p.m. The event is set up as a digital arcade in which the public can interact with student video games, digital art and digital animation and visual effect videos.

UT Launches New Mobile Certificate ProgramApril 2014
Responding to industry needs, UT-Austin has created the Mobile Computing Certificate. The certificate is part of the Game And Mobile Media Applications (GAMMA) Program—an interdisciplinary undergraduate program jointly developed by the Computer Science Department, College of Fine Arts and Radio-Television-Film Department. To earn the certificate, students must complete five classes, including Introduction to Wireless Networks, Computer Networks, two upper division electives related to mobile computing and a mobile platform requirement. Starting next spring, students will be able to fulfill the mobile platform requirement with either iOS or Android.

The University of Texas at Austin’s GAMMA Program Hosts Bowling & Billiards NightApril 2014
The University of Texas at Austin’s Game and Mobile Media Applications (GAMMA) Program hosted its first Bowling & Billiards Night last week on April 3, 2014. The non-competitive event brought together the GAMMA Program’s students and industry partners in the Texas Union Underground for a casual night of entertainment and networking.

Video Gaming’s Artistic and Gameplay Evolution PresentationMarch 2014
Chris Solarski will present techniques from classical art, animation and film to highlight narrative potential for video game design—making possible more expressive forms of gameplay. The featured techniques are foundational to all art disciplines, making the talk relevant to anyone interested in getting a crash course in artistic expression and gameplay.

The University of Texas at Austin’s GAMMA Program Hosts First Jobs2Careers HackathonFebruary 2014
Last night, The University of Texas at Austin’s Game and Mobile Media Applications (GAMMA) Program hosted the first Jobs2Careers Hackathon. Computer Science students came together on Feb. 27 in a competition to solve two complex coding problems in only two hours at the Bill & Melinda Gates Computer Science Complex and Dell Computer Science Hall (GDC).

First Student-Led Developer Conference at UT Austin Fills the HouseFebruary 2014
The first University of MAD (Mobile App Development organization) was packed to capacity this past Friday and Saturday. The 15-hour bootcamp-style event was hosted at The University of Texas at Austin’s Bill & Melinda Gates Computer Science Complex and Dell Computer Science Hall.

The University of Texas at Austin’s Game Development Program Announces Name ChangeFebruary 2014
In response to the continuing advances of the creative industries, The University of Texas at Austin announced today the renaming of the Game Development Program to the Game and Mobile Media Applications (GAMMA) Program, effective immediately. The name change is in response to the exploding growth in game, mobile app and creative media agencies and studios in Texas, as well as student demand to learn the necessary skills to be successful in these emerging organizations.

Skillpoint Alliance Co-Hosts Central Texas Global Game Jam with The University of Texas at AustinJanuary 2014
Last weekend, The University of Texas at Austin’s Game Development Program and Skillpoint Alliance co-hosted the Central Texas Global Game Jam (GGJ). The GGJ is the world’s largest game jam event taking place around the world at physical locations. It is the growth of an idea that in today’s heavily connected world, people could come together, be creative, share experiences and express themselves in a multitude of ways using video games.

Digital Demo Day Fall 2013 Schedule AnnouncedNovember 2013
“Digital Demo Day” will take place on Thursday, Dec. 12, featuring presentations and a digital arcade in CMB Studio 4B where the public can try out students’ games and watch animation and FX demos. Students will also present their work in Studio 4D.

The University of Texas at Austin Hosts EGaDS GameCraft FinalsNovember 2013
The University of Texas at Austin’s Game Development Program and Electronic Game Developers Society (EGaDS) hosted the GameCraft Finals, an annual game design contest, on Nov. 7 at the Bill & Melinda Gates Computer Science Complex and Dell Computer Science Hall (GDC). Three finalists pitched their ideas on designing a new competitive eSport—such as League of Legends, FIFA and Starcraft—to a panel of industry judges.

The Game Development Program Hosts Fall Career PowerUp MixerOctober 2013
The University of Texas at Austin’s Game Development Program hosted its Fall Career PowerUp (CPU) Mixer on Oct. 25, 2013 at the Bill & Melinda Gates Computer Science Complex and Dell Computer Science Hall (GDC). The CPU Mixer brought together the Game Development Program’s industry partners and select students interested in careers and internships in the game industry to network in an energetic recruiting venue.

The University of Texas at Austin Hosts EGaDS Annual 24-Hour Game JamOctober 2013
During the last weekend of September, the Electronic Game Developers Society (EGaDS), a student-run organization, and The University of Texas at Austin’s Game Development Program hosted the annual 24-hour Game Jam. More than 70 students came together on Sept. 27 in a competition to create an entirely new game from this year’s randomly selected theme of “redundant” in only 24 hours at the Bill & Melinda Gates Computer Science Complex and Dell Computer Science Hall (GDC).

UT 3rd Best Public University in Game Design and DevelopmentJuly 2013
The University of Texas at Austin was recently ranked 17th in AnimationCareerReview.com’s “2013 Top 50 Schools in the US for Game Design and Development.” UTCS comes in 3rd among all public schools that made the list and is the only Texas university in the top 25.

Digital Demo Day Fall 2012May 2013
Digital Demo Day is a showcase of students’ digital media works such as animation, art, games and other interactive media. During the digital arcade the public can try out students’ games, watch animation and FX demos and play with interactive stories.

Multimedia Games Field TripMay 2013
UT Game Development Capstone students toured Multimedia Games in Austin to learn more about the casino game development industry and process.

UT Game Dev Capstone Featured in UT System websiteMarch 2013
Paul Toprac, Ph.D., associate director and senior lecturer of Game Development at The University of Texas at Austin discusses the program and the creativity of his students, which is “off the charts.”

UTCS Students Win SXSW Game JamMarch 2013
UT computer science students Matthew Allen, Axel Ismirlian and Eric Symmank, who competed together as Team Exodus, won “Best Use of Light and Sound” for their game VoidDX. Team Polysaurus was composed of Aaron Belcher and Darwin Pek. Their game, called Crunch Rockets, was awarded “Most Fun Game.” Both teams were given Unity Pro licenses. Additionally, Team Polysaurus was selected to receive a Collector’s Edition of Guild Wars 2.

Game On @ UT AustinMarch 2013
Innovative game design took center stage in the TACC/ACES Vislab—a research hub for tiled display software development, visualization consulting and human-computer interaction.

Keynote Presentation by Katie Salen at the Visual Arts CenterMarch 2013
Connected Learning: Activating Games, Design and Play. Keynote presentation for Game On @ UT Austin. Katie Salen is a game designer, animator, design educator and professor at the DePaul University College of Computing and Digital Media.

Global Game JamJanuary 2013
Global Game Jam (GGJ) is the world’s largest game jam, a competition similar to a hackathon in which people come together to make video games based on a common theme. Two UT students, Aaron Belcher and Matthew Allen, did exceptionally well in Austin’s Global Game Jam 2013.

Digital Demo Day Fall 2012December 2012
Digital Demo Day is a showcase of students’ digital media works such as animation, art, games and other interactive media. During the digital arcade the public can try out students’ games, watch animation and FX demos, and play with interactive stories from 3-6 p.m.

The UT^2 Game Bot Judged More Human Than HumansSeptember 2012
The UT^2 game bot, created by Jacob Schrum, Igor Karpov, and Professor Risto Miikkulainen, won the Humanlike Bot Competition at the IEEE World Congress on Computational Intelligence (WCCI 2012).